The first thing that struck me about this book was the beautiful edition - the illustrations really set the tone for the eclectic recipes they accompany. The recipes themselves obviously draw on a wide and varied background in cooking (and travel?)- bringing together ingredients and techniques from various European, Asian and American styles of cooking. I loved the Goat Cheese Napoleons, the Cucumber Wheels with Crabmeat and Sushi Rice, and scored major brownie points with my husband with the Cardamom Pears. Although this is not a beginners cookbook, the instructions are very clear and precise and I would encourage anyone with a sense of adventure as far as good food is concerned to dive into these recipes.

We have enjoyed Esther's imaginative and delicious cuisine for many years. Each of her meals is a journey of delight: a prolonged, languid excursion through a series of courses, each fresh and original and of modest proportion. "Birds of a Different Feather" reveals how these repasts are built. The "meat" courses are primarily poultry, though fish and seafood, also take a bow; appetizers, soups, salads, grains, deserts all are presented, so you can mix and match for a multi-course meal. The dishes are invariably inventive, but neither strange nor difficult. Besides revealing the secrets of Esther's cooking, her book is a visual banquet as well, illustrated with fanciful watercolors by Jane Angelhart and printed on paper sturdy enough to withstand splashes of clarified butter, celery root soup, ginger and honey sauce, kumquats, tomatillos, pistachio filling, and grand marnier apricot sabayon. You will love this book, and the pleasure it helps you provide to the people at your table.

For those of us who love to eat well, but struggle in the kitchen, this book is a godsend. Many cookbooks assume too much or the recipes are misleading or both. Here is a master chef who cares about your result. She provides advice and encouragement within a beautifully illustrated book. In the aknowledgements Gerhard says, "cooking is my way of expressing affection, of drawing people closer and seeing them happy." Her book makes this wonderful sentiment available to us all.

Cerebus began with issue one, but that was before i was born. Therefore, my initiation into comics came later as did my interest outside the superhero genre. Well, as it happens, Guys was the first full book/chapter/volume of Cerebus that i ever read; that is, i read this as it came out monthly. Previously i had bought and read the first volume in which Cerebus is actually just a Conan parody, but Guys was my first taste of real Sim and the magnificent background art of Gerhard.

Entering this volume without having the complete prior story was confusing, but a willingness and steady pace allowed me to situate myself and get comfortable quickly. Plus, i luckily had a steady income that allowed for the consumption (so to speak) of the prior volumes. Though i should say that i was able to read all of the prior volumes in the time it took for the 20 or so issues of this volume to reach my hands.

A great high point of Guys is Marty's character. Marty Feldman as he was in Young Frankenstein -- i.e. bloody hilarious. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also provide some laughs. Also worth mentioning is Sim's inclusion of other comics professionals most notably Rick Veitch and Don Thompson. All the cameos Sim includes serve a purpose, though it is somtimes purely comedic.

All in all, Sim gives a very sublime tone throughout this volume, which may or may not be helpful to some readers after the mass of text and ideas that is Mothers and Daughters. I found the relaxing pace quite welcome, though. The only thing truly lacking in the collected volumes are 1) the nice covers 2) the back up features like letters and other correspondences Sim has with several comics professionals (one of my favorites is his several part discussion about the end of Gaiman's Sandman series, which occurred during this volume's serialization).

It's not the best of the Cerebus books, but - maybe except for Reads - any of them deserves five stars.

At first one starts to wonder if Cerebus is ever going to be sober in this book. Dave Sim & Gerhard have distinguished themselves, among other things, as people able to depict drunkenness and headaches in a quite extraordinarily realistic way, as displayed in this book as well. There are also a number of interesting deliriums (another of the creators' strong sides). Eventually Cerebus does get sober, and the storyline starts concerning itself with deeper issues, such as loneliness, and friendship and how it can be ruined by falling in love (with someone else). And it all ends with an epilogue so unexpected and thought-provoking that you'll do anything to read the next book.

The perhaps most important reason why the Cerebus books are so good, and like nothing else in this world, is that the creators allow themselves to take their time. An average book in the series is about 300-500 pages, and this obviously allows for (successful) experimenting with the art of telling a story in comics. This involves, for instance, filmish effects (like zooming in or out on a target) and symbolistic depictions of a character's inner life. Something that maybe hasn't been given enough credit is Dave Sim's almost superhuman genius in creating word balloons that are immensely able to express sentiments. Another forgotten hero is Gerhard, whose backgrounds are always ... perfect.

Finally, I can only feel sorry for Cerebus, that he has to meet such a terrible person like Joanne.

In this collection of Cerebus, Dave Sim looks at life in a pub as the male patrons interact. Lots of guest stars from previous Cerebus books appear: Mick & Keef, Bear, and others. This book will make you think about platonic friendships between males and their relationships with women. Shows some insight into the Cirinist regime that has been set up and how Cerebus deals with it. Mrs Thatcher also returns. Many laughs in this one!

_Analytical Psychology_ is one of the most succinct, miserly, and potent of all of Carl Jung's works. Most if not all of Jung's most important concepts are crammed into this slim volume. For experienced readers of nonfiction philosophy and psychology, this might be the best place to start reading Jung, especially if all you want is a crash-course in Jung's most important ideas. This is by no means an introductory-level book. For beginners, I would recommend Jung's masterpiece, _Modern Man in Search of a Soul_ (although that one's only slightly easier). _Analytical Psychology_ is for people who are already familier with Jung and want to reach the apex of his psychology, or for experienced readers who want to lean as much as possible about Jungian psychology in as little time as possible. Be forewarned that this book is extremely dense, yet this is a result of the inherent complexity of the subject matter, and not so much a result of bad writing or bad translation. Overall, I would say the knowledge contained in this book is well worth the effort. This book is packed with useful information that can actually improve the quality of your life, increase understanding and control of situations, decrease neurosis, and lead to overall enlightenment. Highly recommended.

This is one of Jung's finest although it makes some demands on the cerebral capacity of the reader. Its main benefit is that the Jungian notions here comes out in their full theoretical depth. It's imperative, namely, to get a thorough and deep understanding of Jungian psychology, otherwise you haven't understood it at all. Jungian psychology is plagued by this problem that the notions are shallowly understood. Not even the very central concept of the archetype is rightly understood in many quarters. But here Jung takes us to the deepest layers of his thinking. The archetype is described as a living complex within the psyche of the individual, as a reasonably autonomous personality with a certain conscious luminosity of its own. This goes for the god-complex, too, although, Jung underlines, this doesn't disprove the existence of a transcendental God. This book handles many important questions and constitutes in fact a survey of Jungian psychology: personal and collective unconscious, anima and animus, transcendental function, etc. As this book is Jungian psychology in a nutshell it could be recommended as introductory, provided that the reader is theoretically adept. In fact, I really recommend taking on this book early when studying Jung in order to avoid shallow miscomprehensions of his psychology. However, as the book thoroughly treats questions concerning the encounter with the unconscious, such as phenomena arising from the assimilation of the unconscious, it is very much directed towards professionals. This book will satisfy the appetite of any person with a theoretical disposition. /Mats W

This work is a comprehensive overview of Jung's major theories. The first essay reviews Jung's major discoveries concerning the unconscious contents of the human psyche: the personal and collective unconscious, Archetypes, and general approaches to including them in conscious awareness. The second essay deals with the specific issues involved in making the unconscious part of human consciousness through a process he called individuation.

In this work Jung suggests that there is a way for modern humans of Western descent to rekindle an experience with the unknown, transcendent reality. He challenges readers to reexamine their assumptions and preconceptions. He urges readers to examine their own experiences and to analyze them without prejudice or preconception, and Jung reports what he has discovered by so doing.

This volume is recommended to anyone who is ready to move to the next level in their reading of Jung; anyone who is involved with a process of psychological transformation and would like some guidance from a non-religious, "scientific" source, and anyone who desires an overview of Jung in his own words. Those unfamiliar with Jung's work might find this volume a bit intimidating.

This was the first serious modern work on alchemy that I've read, and boy did I luck out! It is a work charged with authenticity and vision. von Franz gives you some historical background on the origins of alchemy, then introduces this 16th century alchemist, Gerhard Dorn, and his inner and outer struggle to illuminate and heal the schism between spiritual alchemy and Western Christianity. Dorn doesn't come to any happy conclusions, but the chapter on Medieval Magic is worth the entire read. It includes a serious attempt to examine the question of evil (oh thank you!)and the historical process of projecting the contents of the psyche onto some aspect of the body. Also an inspiring section on the "cloud" as symbol in alchemy and christian mysticism for the confusing and darkening part of a person's journey inward to her own core. Also, peppered throughout are juicy tidbits about things like necromancy, pyromancy, hydromancy and something Jung himself was into for a while called Geomancy--which she explains in a brief but fascinating aside. The book is developed from transcripts of a 1969 lecture she gave in Zurich at the Jung Institute. It reads like a lecture, with the rythmns and addendums of the spoken word mostly intact, but obviously translated. That's ok--it flows like pure gold and is a great window into this whole Zurich scene and the living body of work that von Franz and Jung together embodied. This little work is bound to inspire and fuel some aspect of your own imagination. Enjoy!

I haven't read this book yet but couldn't find anywhere to request that you change your information. Ms Von Franz is no longer Jung's greatest living disciple; she no longer lives in Kusnacht; she died recently, perhaps in 1998?

....from his finest student. The depth of her self-exploration-informed research shines from every page. If you can't understand why alchemy has so much to tell us about the dynamics of the unconscious and of individuation, buy this book, it's quite wonderful.

I found this book to be a true depiction of what it means to be in New York - not just the skylines and the tourist attractions. Bradford's perspective - both literally (from the inside of a cab) and mentally - give the pictures a unique feel. In addition, the organization of the book - day, night, rain, snow - convey the notion that the city is continually changing it's mood and it's feel. I would highly recommend this book.

I was so excited to get this book when they showed the story on 60 Minutes. The photographs were all taken with a Yashica T4 point and shoot camera, (the point and shoot of choice for most pro photographers)! The pictures are all in black and white too. The pictures are the pulse of New York City from the viewpoint of a New York Cabbie. I love this concept. I love that this man has used a wonderful point and shoot camera (now discontinued...shame on you, Yashica!), and how he photographs the city while driving. He also photographs the passengers (great idea!!). The text is fantastic. It lets you really understand where he is coming from when he took the pictures. What makes this book winderful is this combination of text and photography, and that it is a new struggling artist who makes his living by driving a cab in New York City, a very rough job indeed.

This book has got to have one of the best concepts I ve seen in a while. The idea of a taxi driver while driving around New York taking pictures of the city from downtown to uptown is one ofmost original ideas. The pictures in the book give you a true feel for New York city. It catches the glitsy, fancy parts of the life, while also showing you the real people in the city. The actual photo quality is fairly impressive and some of the shots are particularly impressive. There isn't a part of the city that isn't captured. The text is interesting, and in 4 languages (english, german, and french), which makes it a little touristy, but it is none the less relatively well writen. Definately a great book for any photo-documentary / photo-journalism fan, or New York lover.

I'm a FI/CO consulant with 6+ years experiences, after reading the book I find there are still some areas and key points that I just ignored or left uncertain in the past, the authors Gerhard Keller and Thomas Teufel present their knowledge and ideas in a very structured and comprehensive way.

Although process mostly keeps the same even with R/3 upgrading, there would still have some big changes between version 3.0 which this book refers to and the version 4.X. And I really hope this book could have second edition and explore more on the MTO process instead of only 30 pages in the last chapter.

This is really the best SAP book I've read!

After you go thru this book, you will find a very clear picture on how SAP works is already in your mind. This book gives your detail explanation, so easy to follow it up. Highly recommend this books!

From almost twenty SAP books that I have read, this book is what I need for large scale implementation. I will not complaint the length of the book. It is guiding what to do as a consultant.

Nothing has probably been written about more than the Second World War. The titanic nature of the global conflict is daunting just to think about, but Mr. Weinberg has managed to lay out the fundamental structure of the war in an easy to follow and global review. The global perspective of this book is what sets it apart from almost all other histories of the second Great War. By tying together both the Pacific and European theaters of WWII, Mr. Weinberg, gives you a clearer, if not so detailed, view of how events in the Pacific and Europe could affect each other. As the author explains in the introduction to his book this is not a review of the methods and mechanics of waging war, but it is a review of the socio-political causes and consequences of waging a world war. Some information about the equipment and practices of the combatants are put into this book where they are necessary to explain the policies of the belligerents, but overall this is not a book for someone looking for technical details about mid-1900's warfare. However, if you are looking for a comprehensive study of how and why a second global conflagration occurred then you have found what you are looking for. The extensive research evident in Mr. Weinberg's work is so complete anyone looking for information about WWII could easily find everything they need either in the text or in the works sited. This is a book for everyone looking for a truly global perspective of the Second World War, and it is a treasure trove of information for anyone researching or studying this period in history.

Weinberg has written a masterpiece with "A World At Arms."

The subtitle is a concise description of the book: a global perspective of World War II. This book focuses entirely on the national strategies and the decision makers of the Allied and Axis forces at each of the stages of the war.

The author examines the situation and options of each player based on information known to the decision makers at the time. This forms a picture that is probably as accurate as history can be of why decisions were made and how the patterns of decisions fit into the grand strategies for each nation. Thus, the book unfolds chronologically and focuses on the logic of campaigns, diplomacy, economics and objectives.

I found this book utterly fascinating. At almost a thousand pages, it can appear daunting. However, WWII is such a large topic, that most readers will find the pace moving along swiftly with the right balance of background and detail as well as descriptions of decisions implemented and actions taken.

We see the unfolding of the alliance between the allies. Often strained, and with a lack of trust between the Western allies and the Soviet Union, the alliance was, however, the crucial factor in defeating Germany. In contrast, the Axis failed to have a working alliance in anything but name only -- Italy and Germany often took great pains to "surprise" each other early in the war and technological and strategic cooperation that could have mutually benefited Japan and Germany/Italy in their wars was (fortunately) greatly lacking.

Of particular interest is the role Stalin plays. First, he is an eager co-conspirator of Hitler's -- wanting to join the Tripartite Powers up to the moment of Operation Barbarossa. Then, he becomes the bulwark of the Allied effort -- tying up more German troops by far on the Eastern Front than were engaged against the West -- as he pursues first survival and then Soviet dominance in the post-war world.

The American - British relationship also had its strains, though it proved to still be a remarkably cohesive and productive partnership. I was not aware of the great lengths to which the British tried to dissuade a return to France through a cross-channel invasion. Also interesting was the cabinet debate during the fall of France in 1940 regarding whether or not Britain should reach an accommodation with Germany. I had not been aware that the decision to fight on was an open question with more than a few of the key British policy makers at the time.

It is chilling to read the logic of Hitler's actions and plans as they unfold early in the war. Until he bit off more than he could chew (the Soviet Union), Hitler's aggressive war making -- driven particularly by his belief in fast action -- was working as nations individually fell under German domination pretty much according to plan (the exception being of course Great Britain. However, it can be argued that a Germany occupying continental Europe in the west and at peace with the Soviet Union would potentially have remade Europe for a very long time).

Japanese strategy and decision making is also explored, though not in as many pages as the events in Europe. The Japanese were perhaps dominated even more than the Germans by beliefs in their own superiority and ability to secure an empire through the some sort of "karma" or "Japanese Spirit." At least the Germans tried to develop new weapons and styles of warfare to quickly put down enemies who they knew could out produce them in a long war. The Japanese on the other hand were remarkably bereft of strategic insight when they decided to go to war over natural resources they probably could have secured through trade and intimidation. After securing raw materials in far away islands, they still had the great problem of transporting them home for use. There is evidence the Japanese knew of the great productive capabilities of America in naval tonnage vis a vis their own relatively paltry abilities to lay new keels in a warship building contest. Arguably, the Japanese could have achieved much of what they wanted by not attacking an America that did not want to go to war and forcing colonial outposts of German occupied nations to trade raw materials with them. Then, while at war they utterly failed to appreciate any offensive role for submarines (as the Germans had) and failed to provide for or protect adequately their water borne trade and movement of materials or troops. They also failed miserably in coordinating their armed forces. The army and navy pretty much had veto power over use of their own units in combined operations and no structure emerged to bind them toward a single military purpose.

This focus on the big picture is as expected very light on battle analysis. Battles are mostly described only to the extent they reveal the outcomes of strategic decisions and as they impact future options and realities. Therefore, this is not a book where the reader will smell the smoke of battle or feel the cold of the Russian Steppe. The reader spends much more time in conference rooms and command centers than rifle pits as one would expect in a book examining strategy. Perhaps this explains why the book has no theater or battle maps. The only criticism of the book I would make is that a map section would help the reader who is not familiar enough with the geography of the war to make mental maps as needed.

I have not come across a more richly researched or well-articulated description of the Second World War at the strategic level. This is a feast for history buffs and those who want to understand why World War II unfolded as it did. The author is to be highly commended for producing such a valuable work.

Mention WWII to many people and they will mention the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific. In reality, the war was vastly broader than that, truly fought over the entire face of the earth and invloving billions of people, killing scores of millions. It is difficult to comprehensively review the entire war in one volume but in this massive book, Gerhard Weinberg comes close to succeeding. Obviously he cannot touch on each and every aspect of the war in full detail in a single volume but each theatre is covered in some detail. Because of the difficulty of analyzing the war chronologically, Weinberg chooses to cover the war by subject. One of the good things about this book is that Weinberg covers the war from the persepctive of many of the different powers involved. For example, he devotes several chapters of the book to the war from the German perspective and from the Japanese perspective. This is something you don't see in every book on the war. The book covers all aspects of the war including military, political, social and economic.

Weinberg's analysis is straightforward and traditional. His aim is not to shock but to inform. While some might quibble that this or that subject might not get the coverage it deserves, in my opinion a single volume could not be more comprehensive and detailed. The book is not light reading. Weinberg is a scholar. He is not Steven Ambrose or even Paul Johnson writing for popular audiences. This is not "Life Goes to War." For anyone with the time or inclination to really learn about the meat of this disaster in which perhaps fifty million people died, this book will be an indispensable tool and reference.

I just finished reading this book (it took me two days) and I have to say that it was quite a joy and a change from Maalouf's other books. The writing style is, as usual, first rate and the difference lies in it being more creative and philosophical. While reading it one cannot help but wonder about the state of our world and the very likely scenarios set out here. This is even more important today with the seemingly limitless possibilities expected from genetic manipulation now that the human genome has been cracked. A very enlightening book that is a joy to read.

The First century after Beatrice was a perfect read. Short, making you want it more than anything too go on! Amin Maalouf writes melodies of words, sentances that are beautiful... His characters are clear and imaginable, but maintain a shadowy edge, as if a slight magic mist is with them at all times. The story is good. Believable. I don't want to use the term science fiction for fear of bringing robots into your head, it's not that at all. It is the best sort of science fiction. Brilliantly written, believable unreality. You are guaranteed to enjoy. Love Mari a xx

I have started reading Maalouf's books with Semekand and have always been impressed with the well-researched, perfectly-written historically based books of him. This time he compeletely changes his style and still handles of the best books I have ever read in my whole life... Not only the political estimations but also the characters are deeply thought. The way he criticised the enthusiasm of todays world on gene cloning is really impressive. If you want to think about the North-South relationships on the globe next century, this book will give you a certain perspective for sure. You should also read the gender relationships throughout the world from such a creative point of view... Definetely worth reading. I recommended this book to everybody I know.

After the disappointing and self-important 2nd half of Church & State, Jaka's Story is like a refreshing breeze in the Cerebus storyline. The incorporation of significant chunks of plain text first makes its appearance here; but at least it is, content-wise, addressing things relevant to the Cerebus storyline (as opposed to say, Reads.) I enjoy Sim's art more than his writing, but the balance here is fairly nice, and most importantly, it is a *focused* & coherent volume of the work. It's tonality is more serious than that of earlier Cerebus volumes, and this is a bit awkward at some points, but overall Sim pulls it off reasonably well. The slow pacing helps generate the appropriate atmosphere and immerses us in this particular leg of the story -- allows us to really settle in. Not my favorite Cerebus book, but a pretty good one. Pud was a particularly interesting character.

I first started reading Cerebus over 20 years ago, carefully collecting the older editions from a used comic store. Jaka's Story, like the later Cerebus stories, moves away from the spof of major comic books, but tells a story in its own right. Giving the history of the world of Cerebus along with many realistic characters, Jaka's story is well worth reading. Though you do have to read the first ones to understand Jaka, who pops up every now and then in the stories before.

It's just a comic book...

...isn't it?

And yet so many words can be applied to it. Let me see... Emotionally rich? Sounds like potting soil... Touching? Not quite... Genius? Too weak...

For "just a comic book," this is an absolutely breathtaking piece of literature. To call it a treasure would be like calling winter in Antarctica "a little chilly." This is a book absolutely overflowing with all the things that make a book really worth reading: fascinating characters, lyrical prose, a setting as detailed as any reasonably possible (and interesting to boot: it's several miles above ground level). Best of all, it's a *comic book.* There are some things you just can't say with words. You need an entire page filled with frame after frame of a shadowed shape just barely recognizable as a prison door before you can get the full effect of a broken voice choking out a lullaby from its roach-infested depths.

On a more technical note, the literary references to Oscar Wilde are enjoyable and, as far as a dedicated fan of Wilde's work can tell, accurate. Pud Withers alone is a reason to read the book: a character worthy of a place among Literature's most introspective and developed characters. His constantly rephrased fantasy conversations are a fascinating study of how innocent desires evolve into violent lust.

As for Cerebus, his most important role in the book is playing a game of toss-the-ball-into-the-waste-bucket. The rest of the time he spends pretending to be asleep or gone completely "fetching paint for Oscar." This neither makes the book better nor worse. Cerebus's absence has no effect on the quality, but his presence would not have effected it either. Though he is the main character of the series, this IS Jaka's Story.

In the introduction to "Theologian of the Cross," Dr. Forde gives his reason for writing this book: he hears a lot of talk about being a theologian of the cross from lay-people who clearly don't know what they're talking about. Because it would take too long (and be too redundant) to explain to each individual, Forde wrote this book on Martin Luther's Heidelberg Disputations to help these people understand to look at things as a theologian of the cross.

If this is Dr. Forde's goal, I'm sad to say that he didn't achieve it. I'm not saying that Forde's research was faulty. Neiher am I saying that Forde incorrectly explained what it means to be a theologian of he cross. What I am saying that the prose is such that a lay-person would probably find it too difficult and confusing. Being a life-long Lutheran, none of the concepts discussed by Dr. Forde were alien to me. However, they were written in such a manner that I had to continually re-read certain sections to understand Forde's point. He packs so much into each sentence that you REALLY need to pay attention to each sentence lest the continuity be lost.

Was the book excellent and accurate? Yes. Was it too "thick" for the average, non-theologically-trained Christian? Yes. (by the way, at 115 pages, it's not physically thick, but each sentence is saturated with important stuff) So, I would not recommend this book to those who are looking for a little light reading on the Theology, but would suggest serious students of theology take this book on.

Forde provides a masterly tome on the differences between theologians of glory and theologians of the cross. There is no real theology, just those who do real theology.

Thus, in this concise, precise written expose of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, Forde offers the ultimate in discussing God and man, what does He think of us?

Suffering and cross? How can it be?

I'm overwhelmed by the excellence of this book. Having read both works about the theology of the cross (von Loewenich and McGrath) I can witness to the prevailing superiority of this for what theologians of the cross are about.

To those who are, think they are, and not sure, this book is the place to begin and end pondering what the differences between theologians is.

Must read!

For those who love theology as I do, this is a masterpiece of theological analysis that goes intot great detail into one of Luther's great treatises.

On initial perusal of the Heidleberg disputation, one may not be familiar with the issues that Luther wished to address at the time. Known perhaps more popularly for his 99 theses, this disputation is more clear example of Luther's thoughts on what being a "theologian of the cross" really means. Forde challenges anyone to, with Luther, be very careful in acting more like a "theologian of glory", as Luther put it, than a theologian of the cross. The latter instance is more difficult, for it means believing in a God that underatnd suffering, a God that is scandalous in his desire to be known as a god who is known for showing power in extreme weakness, in a human that hangs from a cross.

On the other hand, Forde is careful not to let Luther's disputation put forth a view that theology is about a "suffering" God per se, but that we do not know God through lofty ideas such as "omnipotence" and "glory". Forde, using Luther, brings balance to the concept of grace, sin and suffering.

This book is a must for those interested in issues durrounding the Reformation and Luther's theology of grace.